It seems that even when I take beano with the first bite of beans, I am bloated but also have intestinal pain. I know they are good for me but what else can I do if what Im told isn't working....even tried taking digestive enzymes :O(
Any suggestions?

Tue. May 6, 8:18pm

beans, greens.. i had some cramping and digestive issue when i started incorporating them daily..

drink some lemon water..

the uncomfortable ness is temporary. i now eat mostly plant based beans are part of my everday life..

today was caramelized onion hummus wraps with raw veggies

chilli- bean- black and red pink beans

lentil loaf..

i do get a little gassy, but not overly..

the water with lemon has always helped me

lynneta6

Thursday, May 08, 2014, 12:00 AM

Do you buy canned beans or dried beans?

If they're canned, make sure you rinse them really well. If they're dried, after you boil them make sure you drain them and rinse them. When you boil them you can see that the water gets some foam on top. That's what gives you gas.

I agree with Lynetta that the discomfort should be temporary as your body gets used to it. If you continue to have trouble after all of this, then maybe you have an actual sensitivity to them.

Thursday, May 08, 2014, 6:56 AM

i agree with previous poster.. i dont buy canned beans anymore.. fresh taste better.. i have fresh chickpeas cooking now to make more hummus.

i also agree.. wash your beans.. canned or cooked

chew thoroughly.. put down your utensil.. between bites it gives you time to actually break down the skin and digest the bean..half the problem with digestion is people dont chew therefore they dont break down their food so when you swallow you have big pieces inside of you that doesn't digest well.

drink lemon water, pepperment tea is also good as well as ginger for digestion.

if after doing this give it a couple weeks. it doesn't settle down.. than i would get tested on beans for being sensitive.. good luck.

lynneta6

Thursday, May 08, 2014, 7:59 AM

What I learned recently after trying to heal some persistent digestive discomfort is that beans are much easier to digest if they've been pre-soaked for 12-24 hours, then cooked. The only brand of canned beans that pre-soaks their beans before cooking is Eden Organics.

We have been farming heirloom beans for over 20 years and our family has been farming continuously in California since 1855. My husband "the farmer" has also been doing bean research for University of California, Davis for over 14 years.

One of the most important things you can do is to presoak your beans (quick soak or overnight) and then discard the soaking water and rinse them really well. Then begin cooking them with fresh water. I always precook my beans before I put then into another dish such as a casserole, soup, salads, hummus, etc. keeping in mind that the beans will cook further. A little undercooking will be better than overcooking.

I know this sounds like a lot of work but it is really very simple! Always cook more beans than you need or cook them ahead and store them in zip lock bags in the freezer. Then whenever you want to make a dish with beans they are cooked and ready to use at a moments notice. This is so much better, tastier and healthier than using canned beans with added sodium etc....there is just no comparison in the difference in taste! I must add though that what we call generic dry beans that you are finding on the grocery shelves are not fresh at all...they have been packed and stored for quite sometime before they are ever put on the grocery shelves not to mention how long they have already been sitting there on the shelves. Fresh beans always taste better, cook faster and usually cause less digestive discomfort.

Let me explain why presoaking your beans is so important! The human digestive system does not have the enzymes needed to metabolize the complex sugars, called oligosaccharides found in beans. We can only digest simple sugars. So when we eat beans, the complex sugars pass from the upper intestine undigested to the lower intestine where the bacteria there begin to go to work on them. The bacteria can't gobble them up; they can only break them down via fermentation, which results in hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide gases. Presoaking the beans and discarding the soaking water gets rid of 75-90 percent of the complex sugars that we are unable to digest.

Also, if your digestive system is not used to a fiber-rich diet that can cause issues so if that is the case, start increasing your fiber intake slowly giving your digestive system time to adjust along the way. Once you become accustomed to a fiber-rich diet you may have less of a problem with flatulence.

Another things that some people have tried is adding a strip of kombu seaweed, found at natural food stores and Oriental groceries, to each pot of beans for the first hour of cooking. Then remove and discard it. I have not tried this myself since I presoak and discard the soaking water plus our beans are fresh and I never have to cook them for very long. I usually do a quick soak (rinsing and adding the beans to a pot covered by about three extra inches of water, bring the beans to a boil...do not boil...cover the pot turn the heat off and let the beans sit for about 1 hour). Many varieties of our beans will be already cooked enough once I discard the soaking water and rinse them in a colander. I can eat them right there at the sink plain or with some olive oil and seasonings, etc. or begin cooking them with fresh water depending on the dish I am adding them to and the desired doneness of the beans.

All of our heirloom beans are non GMO, gluten-free and fresh "grower direct to you." We hand pick and clean all of our beans in our own gluten-free facility. Please check our website at www.elegantbeans.com where you will find 28 different varieties of heirloom dry beans and recipes plus more information on soaking and cooking. We are currently updating our site so please check back for new recipes, articles, blog, media, and our own online nutrition professor/chef who will have a lot of tips and ideas to share!

If you have anymore questions or need any additional assistance, please feel free to contact me at bobbie@elegantbeans.com. Always happy to help when I can.

1)How To Achieve Sustainable Weight Loss This is a new 12 week program that helps you solve the mental blockages that are prevent many from sustainable weight loss. The most interesting thing about the program is what participants are saying and you can click on the link to read them.